Angela Merkel was dealt a devastating defeat at the ballot box yesterday as
millions of Germans, driven by fear of war and nuclear meltdown, voted the
Green Party into power in two crucial regional states.

The Chancellor will now come under pressure from the conservative wing of the
Christian Democratic Party to reshuffle the Cabinet and harden her policies.
Only the absence of a clear rival ensures that there will be no immediate
attempt to oust her. In the Christian Democrat heartland of
Baden-Württemberg, the most prosperous and productive region of the country,
the party had to surrender power after